Visual Proof and Public Outcry: When Legacy Brand Makeovers Backfire Instantly
By James H. Sterling
The drive to flatten corporate identities stems from an obsession with uniform app icons and minimalist design systems. In that pursuit of clean pixels, brands discard their character. A century-old heritage is a defensible moat, not an obstacle to overcome.
Successful legacy modernizations respect the core compact between product and buyer. Coca-Cola discovered this during the New Coke disaster of 1985, and restaurant chains rediscover it whenever they strip away folk charms to pursue passing aesthetic trends. When a brand stands for cozy regional authenticity, scrubbing away its founder or beloved mascot does not attract young urban diners. It merely leaves old friends with nowhere familiar to sit.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
